Taipei
Taipei is the capital and a special municipality of Taiwan. Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City. Most of the city rests on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed. The municipality of Taipei is home to an estimated population of 2,494,813, forming the core part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with a population of 7,047,559.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
3spring
warming shoulder; openmeteo mean 17.1-23.8 °C; humidity rising; the relatively comfortable pre-monsoon window
- the cherry blossoms on Yangmingshan and the start of the hiking season; the comfortable walking window for the night markets before the summer heat
summer
long, hot and very humid; openmeteo mean 22.7-27.6 °C (Jul hottest 27.6); the Pacific typhoon season Jun-Oct (Jun wettest 8.1 mm/day, Sep 6.9); per Wikipedia 'summer afternoon showers and thunderstorms'
- life shifts after dark — the night markets at their busiest is the city's defining summer affordance (per SCHEMA)
- typhoon days close everything without notice (Pacific typhoon season Jun-Oct)
- the 騎樓 covered arcades (per SCHEMA §4.1) keep the street usable through rain and sun
winter
short, warm and very foggy; openmeteo mean 14.2-19.8 °C (Jan 14.2); per Wikipedia 'winters are short … generally very foggy'; cold fronts can drop the temperature by 3-5 °C; the drier months (Jan-Feb 2.8-4.1 mm/day)
- hot-springs season at Beitou — 'the hot springs at Beitou … had long been enjoyed' (wikivoyage:Beitou)
- the mild winter is the comfortable window for the Yangmingshan trails and the city's daytime street life
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Lantern Festival
- the Taipei Lantern Festival concludes the Lunar New Year holiday
- the Pingxi sky lantern release
NYE Taipei 101
- Taipei 101 becomes 'the world's largest fireworks platform' for the New Year countdown
- thousands converge on the Xinyi District
Dragon Boat Festival
- the Dragon Boat Festival
Mid Autumn Festival
- the Mid-Autumn (Mooncake) Festival
Double Ten Day
- Double Ten Day — patriotic celebrations before the Presidential Office Building
On the record
source-trackedTaipei has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), with slight tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af) influences.
Summers are long-lasting, very hot and humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons; while winters are short, generally warm and generally very foggy.
Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.
Taipei is known for its many night markets, which include the Shilin Night Market in the Shilin District.
The surrounding streets by Shilin Night Market are extremely crowded during the evening, usually opening late afternoon and operating well past midnight.
Ximending has been an area for shopping and entertainment since the 1930s … and has been called the 'Harajuku' of Taipei.
The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park.
The hot springs at Beitou had long been enjoyed by the local indigenous people. After the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895, they established the first hot spring resorts there in the early 1900s.
The hot springs in Beitou are known for their high sulphur content — the water is often yellow and milky because of it.
Public transport accounts for a substantial portion of transportation trips in Taipei. 34.9% of transportation trips were taken on public transit in 2022, higher than any other locality in the country.
A contactless smartcard, known as EasyCard, can be used for all modes of public transit as well as several retail outlets.
When New Year's Eve arrives on the solar calendar, thousands of people converge on Taipei's Xinyi District … Taipei 101 assumes the role of the world's largest fireworks platform.
Our own long-form profile of Taipei — 248 pp. Not published yet.